laptop will not boot

I am trying to get an Inspiron 1545 laptop to boot. The Ltp was dropped from about 4 feet and had no power afterwards. I replaced the motherboard and it would power up but no screen and will not boot. I originally received 2 beeps when trying to boot and switched memory sticks around and now I get no beeps but it still will not boot.

The power light comes on as well as the fan and the light flickers for optical drive but no boot and black screen .I have tried the 30 second power button press, have removed HD, opt Drive and memory one by one and all at the same time but to no avail. when I remove memory it constantly beeps twice and will only turn off by removing AC plug. I have replaced CMOS battery and tested AC power {good}
I attempted to use outside monitor but keyboard FN key does not respond to switch monitor

Thank you very much for your assistance After trying numerous things the status has now changed. I still have power to fan and opt drive and think i hear hd start but not sure no lights to indicate that. Now i get 2 beeps at start even though I have replaced memory with 2 known good sticks and switched them every way possible. The cpu/fan combo is seated properly with compound

the keyboard is unresponsive therefore i can not switch to external monitor. There are no cracks in the LED screen but I think it is damaged and has to be replaced and probably the keyboard also. I do not have a compatible system to check the HD. no network LED.

I do not mind going for the screen and keyboard but [I] do not want to spend the money if it will not post & boot. Is it possible that the screen shorted out the motherboard when it dropped and again when [I] put in a new motherboard? Is it possible that when it dropped in loosened the keyboard chip on the MO? I do not know where that chip is so I could not check but it should be good on the new board

My first concern now is to get passed the 2 beeps. With known good memory could the beeps be related to the keyboard?

I cant tell you how much i appreciate the help. This thing has me crazy

With the new set of symptoms, I'm beginning to wonder if the 2 beeps are a symptom of a keyboard failure rather than RAM. It rather depends on the BIOS what the beeps mean, but I have come across some that fit the bill. If the BIOS is beeping then the Power On Self Test has failed and there will be as yet no other system activity. However, if the POST can be made to pass, you can then move forward to look for signs of life.

If it is a keyboard failure there is little point in hunting for the interface electronics: any active component on the motherboard is firmly soldered in place. You could however recheck the seating of the keyboard ribbon cable. If everything looks ok, you could try a USB keyboard at least to get past the Power On Self Test stage and connect a external monitor to get the machine running.

To be honest, it's difficult to say if the machine is economically salvageable: with the set of symptoms presented and the description of the accident that befell it, I would put the chances at no more than 50:50 - probably less in fact.

The best advice I can give is to follow the symptoms until you get to an en-passe that requires spending real money. At that point it may be time to call it quits and ask for a friendly shop or local IT tech to see if any data can be extracted from the hard drive before consigning it to the great laptop graveyard in the sky.

dell 1545 will not boot

YOU ARE A GENIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I attached a USB keyboard without an FN key and hit every combination on both keyboards in order to switch the monitor and guess what? I have a picture on the external monitor. The original keyboard touch pad works and the mouse moves freely.

My thinking is that if I replace the keyboard and led screen I should be in business. Please advise me of any further steps i have to take to make this a successful repair.

I will get back to you with the results and I am appreciative to no end with your expertise and want to tell the world

You might want to consider the total cost of keyboard and screen on this laptop. I have no idea what these items cost, but it appears the laptop cost would be around $300 to $600 depending on the source. It might be more cost effective to simply replace the whole laptop.

I attached a USB keyboard without an FN key and hit every combination on both keyboards in order to switch the monitor and guess what? I have a picture on the external monitor.

Excellent result!

I would however still consider testing the hard drive for errors after an impact as heavy as that.

I think also Medico has a good point about the economics of the repair, but it is very subjective.

Keyboards are not really that expensive (£30 or less in the UK), so it boils down to what is the problem with the screen. It could be the inverter, it could be damaged connectors, or the flat panel itself. My bet might be on the inverter and cables - depending on how it impacted when it was dropped. If it is the inverter, or cables, eBay might through up some nice bargains for not a lot of money - maybe another £30 perhaps?. If it turns out to be the flat panel, then that could easily increase to close on £100, eating up much of the value of the machine.

The difficulty I usually encounter when dealing with this kind of repair is what makes economic sense to one person does not square with someone else. For example : spend £200 on repairing a laptop when a brand new one could be bought for £300? Some people jump to the new machine, others pay for the repair.